Movable barrier imminent motion notification system and method

ABSTRACT

A movable barrier operator system is provided that includes a moving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus, a motor, a controller, and communication circuitry configured to communicate with a remote control. In response to the communication circuitry receiving a communication from the remote control, the controller causes the motor to change the state of the movable barrier and additionally operate the moving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus upon a determination of the remote control being beyond a physical proximity of a location associated with the movable barrier operator system. Upon a determination that the remote control is within the physical proximity, the controller refrains from operation of the moving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/257,045, filed Jan. 24, 2019, entitled MOVABLE BARRIER IMMINENTMOTION NOTIFICATION SYSTEM AND METHOD, which is incorporated byreference in its entirety herein.

FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to a movable barrier operator and,more specifically, to a movable barrier operator system with amoving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus.

BACKGROUND

Movable barrier operators for controlling various types of barriers suchas garage doors, gates, and the like are well known in the art. Someusers operate these movable barrier operators using a local remotecontrol, such as a handheld transmitter, to send a command message toopen or close a movable barrier. Movable barrier operators may alsoreceive command messages from a remote server via the internet inresponse to a state change request from a remote device to allow forremote operation by a user. For example, a user may control a movablebarrier operator through a website accessed by a computing device or viaan application on a smartphone.

When a user operates a movable barrier operator using a remote devicevia a network, such as the internet, the operation is typicallyclassified as an unattended operation. Given the potential distancebetween the user operating a movable barrier operator through a remotedevice and the movable barrier itself, the user may be unaware of anyindividuals or pets located near the movable barrier prior to an open orclose operation. In such systems, an unattended operation initiated by aremote device is performed by outputting an imminent motion notificationduring a delay in operation, and movement of the movable barrier afterexpiration of the delay. The imminent motion notification may be atleast one of a flashing light and a sound alert to warn nearbyindividuals that the movable barrier will open or close.

Additionally, if a user operates a movable barrier using a localtransmitter, the operation is classified as an attended operation whichdoes not require an imminent motion notification. Given the short radiorange of a transmitter, an imminent motion notification is generallythought to be unnecessary because the user is likely in view of themovable barrier after actuating the transmitter.

However, such methods do not account for the possibility that a user mayoperate the movable barrier operator using a remote device via a networkwhen the user is near the movable barrier. For example, a user mayattempt to open or close a garage door using a smartphone while in adriveway, or inside the associated garage. In these situations, themovable barrier operator system would automatically classify theoperation as an unattended close (because the command message wasreceived via a network) such that one or more of delayed operation ofthe movable barrier operator, flashing a light, and generating a soundalert occur, which may result in frustration by or inconvenience to auser because the notification is not required.

Further, the radio range of local transmitters continues to increase dueto advances in technology. As such, a user may potentially be able tooperate a local transmitter from a distance that would ordinarily entailan imminent motion notification because the user may no longer be inview of the movable barrier. In this situation, the imminent motionnotification apparatus would not operate simply because a localtransmitter was used, which may surprise individuals or pets near themovable barrier who are unaware that the movable barrier may soon close.

SUMMARY

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a movable barrier operatorsystem is provided that includes a motor, communication circuitryconfigured to communicate with a remote control, and a controlleroperably coupled to the motor and the communication circuitry. Upon thecommunication circuitry receiving a communication from the remotecontrol, the controller is configured to cause the motor to change astate of the movable barrier. The movable barrier operator systemfurther includes a moving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatusoperably coupled to the controller. The moving-barrier imminent motionnotification apparatus is configured to output an alert in combinationwith the change of state of the movable barrier upon a determination ofthe remote control being beyond a physical proximity of a locationassociated with the movable barrier operator system. Upon adetermination that the remote control is within the physical proximity,however, the controller refrains from operation of the moving-barrierimminent motion notification apparatus in combination with the change ofstate of the movable barrier.

In some embodiments, the proximity determination may be performed by thecontroller of the movable barrier operator system. As other examples,the proximity determination may be performed by a processor of theremote control or by a processor of a server computer associated withthe movable barrier operator system and communicated to thecommunication circuitry of the movable barrier operator.

By performing a proximity determination prior to operation of themoving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus, devices such ascar visor-mounted transmitters may utilize an increased range ofoperation while still providing an imminent motion notification upon adetermination that the remote control is beyond the physical proximityfrom the location associated with the movable barrier operator system.Additionally, if the remote control is determined to be within thephysical proximity, then the moving-barrier imminent motion notificationapparatus does not operate, and unnecessary imminent motionnotifications can be minimized or prevented.

The proximity determination may be based on at least one or more of thefollowing methods for obtaining proximity-related information of theremote control including, but not limited to, dead reckoningdeterminations, angle of arrival measurements, time of flightdeterminations, received signal strength indication (RSSI) thresholding,comparison of global navigation satellite system (GNSS) data such asglobal positioning satellite (GPS) data, analysis of data obtained viaremote sensors (e.g., a camera configured to detect image data includingphysical characteristics of a user), LiDAR scanning, or a combinationthereof. In some embodiments, proximity-related data of the remotecontrol may be obtained from multiple sources and combined using sensorfusion algorithms to increase the accuracy of the proximitydetermination.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, a remotecontrol for a movable barrier operator system is provided. The remotecontrol includes communication circuitry configured to send acommunication to the movable barrier operator system to change a stateof the movable barrier. The communication circuitry is also capable ofreceiving or transmitting a locating indicium for determination ofwhether the remote control is within or beyond a physical proximity of alocation associated with the movable barrier operator system. The remotecontrol further includes a user interface configured to receive a userinput that indicates a request to change the state of the movablebarrier and a processor operatively coupled to the communicationcircuitry and the user interface. In response to a determination thatthe remote control is located beyond the physical proximity, theprocessor causes the communication circuitry to send the communicationto the movable barrier operator system to change the state of themovable barrier. The processor is configured to inhibit operation of themoving-barrier imminent notification apparatus in combination with thechange of state of the movable barrier upon a determination of theremote control being within the physical proximity. The processor isfurther configured to effectuate operation of the moving-barrierimminent motion notification in combination with the change of state ofthe movable barrier upon a determination of the remote control beingbeyond the physical proximity.

In yet another aspect of the present disclosure, a server computer forfacilitating operation by a remote control of a movable barrier operatorsystem is provided. The server computer communicates via a communicationinterface with both the movable barrier operator system and the remotecontrol over a network, such as the internet, and can receive a statechange request from the remote control to change the state of themovable barrier. A processor of the server computer is operativelycoupled to the communication interface and is configured to cause thecommunication interface to communicate with the movable barrier operatorsystem and cause a change of state of the movable barrier upon thecommunication interface receiving the state change request. Theprocessor is further configured to cause the communication interface tocommunicate with the movable barrier operator system and inhibitoperation of the moving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatusin combination with the change of state of the movable barrier operatorupon a determination of the remote control being within a physicalproximity of a location associated with the movable barrier operatorsystem. Conversely, the processor is configured to cause thecommunication interface to communicate with the movable barrier operatorsystem and effectuate operation of the moving-barrier imminent motionnotification apparatus in combination with the change of state upon adetermination of the remote control being beyond the physical proximity.

This disclosure likewise provides for a method of operating a movablebarrier operator system having a moving-barrier imminent motionnotification apparatus. The method includes receiving a communicationfrom a remote control that causes the movable barrier operator system tochange the state of a movable barrier. The method includes causing themoving-barrier imminent notification apparatus to output an alert incombination with the change of state of the movable barrier upon adetermination of the remote control being beyond a physical proximity ofa location associated with the movable barrier operator system. Further,upon a determination that the remote control is within the physicalproximity, the method includes causing the moving-barrier imminentnotification apparatus to refrain from outputting an alert incombination with the change of state of the movable barrier.

In another aspect, a method is provided of operating a movable barrieroperator system using a remote control. The method includes receiving auser input at a user interface of the remote control, the user inputrequesting a change of state of a movable barrier of the movable barrieroperator system. The remote control is configured, in response to theuser input, to output a communication to cause the movable barrieroperator system to change a state of the movable barrier. The methodincludes communicating at least one locating indicium for determinationor indication of whether the remote control is within or beyond aphysical proximity of a location associated with the movable barrieroperator system. The communication circuitry of the remote control sendsa communication to the movable barrier operator system. The methodincludes effecting operation of the moving-barrier imminent motionnotification apparatus in combination with the change of state of themovable barrier upon a determination of the remote control being beyond(e.g., relative to the at least one locating indicium) a physicalproximity of the location associated with the movable barrier operatorsystem. The method further includes inhibiting operation of themoving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus in combinationwith the change of state of the movable barrier upon a determination ofthe remote control being within (e.g., relative to the at least onelocating indicium) the physical proximity.

In accordance with yet another aspect of this disclosure, anon-transitory computer readable medium is provided having instructionsstored thereon. When executed by a computer, the instructions cause thecomputer to perform operations including receiving a communicationincluding a state change request from a remote control. The state changerequest is configured to cause a change of state of a movable barrier ofa movable barrier operator system. The operations include effectingoperation of a moving-barrier imminent notification apparatus incombination with the change of state of the movable barrier upon adetermination of the remote control being beyond a physical proximity ofa location associated with the movable barrier operator system. Theoperations further include inhibiting operation of the moving-barrierimminent motion notification apparatus in combination with the change ofstate of the movable barrier upon a determination that the remotecontrol is within the physical proximity.

In another aspect, a movable barrier operator system is provided thatincludes at least one camera configured to capture image data to detector facilitate detection (e.g., via communication with a separateresource such as one or more remote server computers and/or one or morelocal processing devices such as a home hub or network attached storage(NAS)) of a physical characteristic of a user and communicationcircuitry configured to communicate with a remote control associatedwith the user. The system includes an imminent motion notificationapparatus configured to output an alert and a controller operablycoupled to the communication circuitry and the imminent motionnotification apparatus. The controller is configured to cause a changeof state of the movable barrier upon the communication circuitryreceiving a communication from the remote control. The controller isfurther configured to cause the imminent motion notification apparatusto output the alert in combination with the change of state of themovable barrier upon a determination of the remote control being beyonda physical proximity of a location associated with the movable barrieroperator system based at least in part on a lack of detection of thephysical characteristic of the user. Further, the controller isconfigured to inhibit output of the alert by the imminent motionnotification apparatus upon a determination of the remote control beingwithin the physical proximity based at least in part on the detectedphysical characteristic of the user. The movable barrier operator systemmay thereby avoid the imminent motion notification apparatus outputtingan alert upon the remote control being within the physical proximity ofthe location as indicated by the physical characteristic of the usercaptured by the camera and analyzed by a processor of the camera or aseparate processing resource.

The determination of whether the remote control is within the physicalproximity of the location may involve a plurality of factors orcriteria. For example, the remote control may be determined to be withinthe physical proximity of the location if the remote control is within ageofence of the location and an approval of the physical characteristiccaptured by the camera is received or determined. As an example, theremote control may be a smartphone of a package delivery associate, andthe camera may capture an image of the package delivery associate'sface. The user, e.g., the package delivery associate, may be determinedto be within the physical proximity of the location if the smartphone iswithin a geofenced area adjacent the movable barrier operator system andthe detected face of the package delivery associate is associated orreconciled with an image of a package delivery associate who isauthorized to operate the movable barrier operator system. Bydetermining whether the package delivery associate is within thephysical proximity of the location, the package delivery associate mayuse her smartphone to close the movable barrier after a delivery withouthaving to monitor the closing of the movable barrier. Rather, thedelivery associate may send a movable barrier close request using thedelivery associate's smartphone and leave to deliver another packagewhile the movable barrier operator system closes the movable barrier.The ability of the delivery associate to leave without having to standbyand monitor closing of the movable barrier may decrease the duration ofthe package delivery and permit the delivery associate to deliver morepackages in a given period of time. In other words, the deliveryassociate's request to close the movable barrier sent from hersmartphone may be considered a local close request so that the movablebarrier operator system will close the movable barrier without an alertfrom the imminent motion notification apparatus and without the deliveryassociate having to watch the movable barrier close.

The present disclosure also provides a method of operating a movablebarrier operator system having a camera and a moving-barrier imminentmotion notification apparatus. The method includes capturing, via thecamera, a physical characteristic of a user proximate the movablebarrier. The method includes determining whether the user proximate themovable barrier is verified based at least in part on a comparisonbetween the physical characteristic (which may be determined by thecamera itself or in combination with another processing device such as aserver computer) of the user and authorized user physical characteristicdata. The method includes receiving, at the movable barrier operatorsystem, a communication configured to cause the movable barrier operatorsystem to change a state of a movable barrier. The method involvescausing the moving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus tooutput an alert in combination with the change of state of the movablebarrier upon the user proximate the movable barrier not being verified.Conversely, upon the user proximate the movable barrier being verified,the method includes causing the moving-barrier imminent notificationapparatus to refrain from outputting the alert in combination with thechange of state of the movable barrier. The method permits the movablebarrier operator system to avoid having to operate the moving-barrierimminent notification apparatus upon the user being verified based atleast in part on the physical characteristic captured by the camera. Thephysical characteristic may be, for example, one or more facial featuresof the user, a color or type of clothing worn by the user, the user'sgait, or an indicium on the clothing of the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example movable barrier operatorsystem in communication with various remote controls;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the movable barrier operator system of FIG.1 showing a moving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus of themovable barrier operator system;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of one of the remote controls of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of an example server computer forfacilitating operation of the movable barrier operator of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of an example method for operating a movablebarrier operator system having a moving-barrier imminent motionnotification apparatus;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart of an example method for operating, by a remotecontrol, a movable barrier operator system having a moving-barrierimminent motion notification apparatus;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart of an example method for operating, by a servercomputer, a movable barrier operator system having a moving-barrierimminent motion notification apparatus;

FIG. 8 is schematic view of an example garage environment including amovable barrier operator configured to move a movable barrier, animminent motion notification apparatus, and two cameras associated withthe movable barrier operator that are configured to capture a physicalcharacteristic of a user;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the garage environment of FIG. 8 afterthe user has dropped off a package within the garage;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a movable barrier operatorcommunicatively coupled to at least one camera, a server computer, adevice associated with the homeowner, and a remote control of a user;and

FIG. 11 is a flow chart of an example method for operating a movablebarrier operator system having a moving-barrier imminent motionnotification apparatus.

Elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity andhave not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensionsand/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures maybe exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improveunderstanding of various embodiments of the present teachings. Also,common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in acommercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order tofacilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of thepresent teachings. Certain actions and/or operations may be described ordepicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in theart will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence isnot actually required. The terms and expressions used herein have theordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressionsby persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above exceptwhere different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.The word “or” when used herein shall be interpreted as having adisjunctive construction rather than a conjunctive construction unlessotherwise specifically indicated. Further, it is intended that thephrase “at least one of” as used herein be interpreted in thedisjunctive sense. For example, the phrase “at least one of A and B” isintended to encompass only A, only B, or both A and B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a movable barrier operatorsystem 10 including a movable barrier operator 12 and a moving-barrierimminent motion notification apparatus 14. The movable barrier operator12 is shown mounted to the ceiling of a garage 16 and controls theposition of a movable barrier 18. The movable barrier operator 12further includes a motor 260, communication circuitry 250, and acontroller 255 (See FIG. 2). The movable barrier operator system 10includes a rail 20 and trolley 22. The trolley 22 has an arm 24 that isconnected to the movable barrier 18. A coupling 25 such as a belt orchain connects the trolley 22 to an output (e.g. drive shaft ortransmission) of the motor 260. The movable barrier 18 is positioned formovement along a pair of door tracks 26, 28. In response to receiving acommand message from a remote control 30, such as a handheld transmitter32, the movable barrier operator 12 changes the state of the movablebarrier 18. For example, the movable barrier operator 12 moves themovable barrier 18 from an open position to a closed position and viceversa.

The communication circuitry 250 of the movable barrier operator 12 isconfigured to communicate with one or more remote controls 30. The oneor more remote controls 30 may include, for example, a wall-mountedkeypad 31, a handheld transmitter 32, a mobile communication device 34(such as a smartphone), a remote computer 36 (such as a desktop orlaptop), or a vehicle integral (e.g., HomeLink®-style) transmitter 38,or a security system associated with the garage 16. The one or moreremote controls 30 are configured to communicate directly or indirectlywith the movable barrier operator 12 to effect a change of the state ofthe movable barrier 18. The remote controls 30 may send a communicationthat includes at least: an identifier portion to identify the remotecontrol 30 sending the communication; and a rolling code portion thatchanges with each command message sent by the remote control 30. Forexample, the handheld transmitter 32 may send a communication that maybe a radio frequency signal including a command message having anidentifier portion and a rolling code portion.

The remote controls 30 may communicate directly with the movable barrieroperator 12, such as with radio frequency signals. Alternatively oradditionally, the remote controls 30 may communicate indirectly with themovable barrier operator 12 such as via a network 44 and a servercomputer 40 (see FIG. 2). The network 44 may include wired or wirelessnetworks (or a combination thereof), for example, the internet or alocal area network. For example, the handheld transmitter 32 maycommunicate directly with the movable barrier operator 12 via radiofrequency signals such that when the handheld transmitter 32 is out ofrange, the movable barrier operator 12 will not receive a communicationfrom the handheld transmitter 32 and will not effect movement of themovable barrier 18. However, the mobile communication device 34, such asa smartphone, may instead communicate indirectly with the movablebarrier operator 12 to effectively increase the range of operation.Specifically, the mobile communication device 34 communicates a statechange request to the server computer 40 and the server computer 40communicates a command message to the movable barrier operator 12 viathe network 44. Similarly, a remote computer 36 or a security system 38may communicate indirectly with the movable barrier operator 12 via thenetwork 44 and the server computer 40.

Upon receiving the command message, the movable barrier operator 12changes the state of the movable barrier 18. The movable barrieroperator 12 may additionally be configured to communicate with one ormore peripheral devices. For example, the communication circuitry 250may include one or more antennae to facilitate communication with one ormore remote sensors 70, a WiFi router or access point, and otherdevices, as will be discussed further hereinafter.

Regarding FIG. 1, the moving-barrier imminent motion notificationapparatus 14 is integrated with the movable barrier operator 12 on theceiling of the garage 16. The moving-barrier imminent motionnotification apparatus 14 may alternatively or additionally be separateor distinct from the movable barrier operator 12 and located in otherareas proximate the movable barrier 18, such as a wall of the garage 16or on the ceiling of the garage 16.

The moving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus 14 isconfigured to provide an imminent motion notification that typicallyincludes a visual alert, a sound alert, a partial movement of thebarrier, or a combination thereof, followed by or concurrent withdelayed movement of the movable barrier 18. In one embodiment, themoving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus 14 is configuredto cause the controller 255 of the movable barrier operator 12 to use atimer to delay operation of the motor 260 for a short period of time,for example, five seconds or more before a change of state of themovable barrier 18. Additionally, the moving-barrier imminent motionnotification apparatus 14 may include a speaker 15 for emitting anaudible alert for a short period of time, for example, five seconds ormore before a change of state of the movable barrier 18. For example,the audible alert may include a continuous high-pitched tone, anintermittent beeping, or the like, that may be heard by nearbyindividuals. The moving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus14 may provide a visual alert by causing the controller 255 to operatean overhead light 42 of the movable barrier operator 12. For example,the visual alert may include flashing or strobing the overhead light 42for a short period of time, for example, five seconds or more before achange of state of the movable barrier 18. So configured, themoving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus 14 provides animminent motion notification to alert individuals near the movablebarrier 18 prior to a change of state operation.

Regarding FIGS. 1 and 2, the movable barrier operator system 10 movesthe movable barrier 18 with or without operation of the moving-barrierimminent motion notification apparatus 14 depending on whether aparticular remote control of the remote controls 30 has been actuatedand is within a physical proximity of a location 80 associated with themovable barrier operator system 10. Whether the remote control 30 iswithin the physical proximity of the location 80 may be utilized as aproxy to determine whether a user associated with the remote control 30is within the physical proximity of the location 80. As such, referencesherein to determining whether the remote control or user is within aphysical proximity of a location are intended to be usedinterchangeably. In one embodiment, the location 80 may be a geofencedarea 90 outside of the garage 16. The user's home may have a drivewayextending between the garage 16 and a street and the geofenced area 90may be, for example, a portion of the street. FIG. 1 shows a vehicle 100that is driving through the geofenced area 90 toward the garage 16.

For example, the movable barrier operator system 10 includescommunication circuitry 250 configured to receive a communication from aremote control 30 associated with the movable barrier operator system10. Upon the communication circuitry 250 receiving the communication,the controller 255 of the movable barrier operator 12 is configured tocause the motor 260 to effect movement of the movable barrier 18. Upon adetermination of the remote control 30 being beyond the physicalproximity of the location 80 associated with the movable barrieroperator system 10, the controller 255 additionally operates themoving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus 14. However, uponthe remote control 30 being determined to be located within the physicalproximity of the location 80, then the controller 255 will cause themotor 260 to operate the movable barrier 18 without effecting operationof the moving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus 14.

The controller 255 need not operate the moving-barrier imminent motionnotification apparatus 14 upon the remote control 30 being within thephysical proximity of the location 80 because the remote control 30 issubstantially within a line of sight of the movable barrier 18 such thatthe operation is considered an attended operation. The movable barrieroperator system 10 thereby makes a determination of whether to operatethe moving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus 14 based onthe location of the remote control 30 rather than making thedetermination based solely on the type of remote control 30 (forexample, whether the remote control is a local transmitter or a remotedevice). This avoids potential inconvenience or frustration ofexperiencing the delay, flashing light, and sound alarm of themoving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus 14 when, forexample, the user utilizes a mobile communication device 34 in adriveway of garage 16.

As used herein, physical proximity refers to a geographic relationshipbetween the remote control 30 and the location 80 associated with themovable barrier operator system 10 as discussed above. For example,physical proximity may refer to a threshold distance set by a user to becompared to an absolute measured distance between GPS coordinates of theremote control 30 and GPS coordinates of the location 80 associated withthe movable barrier operator system 10 to determine whether to operatethe moving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus 14. As oneexample in this regard, the location 80 may be the location of thegarage 16. Whether the remote control 30 is within the physicalproximity of the location 80 is determined by comparing the absolutedistance between the remote control 30 and the location 80 to athreshold distance. As another example, the location 80 may be definedas a bounded area (e.g., geofenced area 90) associated with the movablebarrier operator system 10, and physical proximity may refer to theremote control 30 being located within the bounded area.

The proximity between the remote control 30 and movable barrier 18 may,in some cases, be represented by a route other than a direct path. Forexample, some routes that a user in a vehicle 100 with the remotecontrol 30 may be required to take to arrive within a substantial lineof sight of the movable barrier 18 may be lengthy or convoluted such asa winding street, a one-way street, or a circuitous route in a gatedcommunity. In those instances, the remote control 30 may be determinedto be within the absolute threshold distance of the location 80, but theremote control 30 may still not be in a substantial line of sight of themovable barrier 18 such that an imminent barrier notification is stilloutput in combination with a change of state operation. For example, ifthe location 80 is the location of the garage 16, the remote control 30may be located one street over from the movable barrier 18 in a densesubdivision and not be in a substantial line of sight of the movablebarrier 18 even though the remote control 30 is relatively close to thegarage 16. To address this, whether the remote control 30 is within thephysical proximity of the location 80 may be determined by firstdetermining a distance the vehicle 100 carrying the remote control 30would have to travel along one or more roads to arrive at the location80. This vehicle travel distance may be retrieved real-time from anavigation system of the vehicle 100 or the remote control 30 or, asanother example, may be predicted based on the current location of thevehicle 100 or remote control 30 and a known vehicle travel distancebetween the current location and the location 80. Next, the traveldistance is compared to a threshold travel distance to determine whetherthe remote control 30 is within the physical proximity of the location80.

In some embodiments where location 80 is defined as a bounded area, thelocation of the remote control 30 may be determined at multipleintervals within location 80 to predictively determine whether theremote control 30 is moving nearer or farther away from the movablebarrier 18. If the determination indicates that the remote control 30 ismoving towards the movable barrier 18, operation of the moving-barrierimminent motion notification apparatus 14 may not be required. However,if the determination indicates that the remote control 30 is moving awayfrom the movable barrier 18, even if the remote control 30 is stillwithin the area, operation of the moving-barrier imminent motionnotification apparatus 14 may nevertheless be required. For example, theGPS coordinates of the remote control 30, as the remote control 30enters the bounds of the location 80, may be used to determine adirection of travel of the vehicle 100 including the remote control 30.

A user may define the geofenced area 90 using, for example, the remotecomputer 36. The geofenced area 90 may be defined as a drivewayassociated with the garage 16, the street address of a house includingthe garage 16, or the boundaries of the garage 16 itself, among others.The location 80 may alternatively be defined as a set of latitude andlongitude coordinates. For example, if the remote control 30 includes anin-vehicle human machine interface (such as infotainment system 72)connected to a universal transmitter, the human-machine interface mayprompt a driver to press a virtual button during setup to allow theglobal positioning satellite (GPS) system of the vehicle 100 to identifythe location of the garage 16 or driveway associated therewith. The GPSlocation may then be saved in a memory of the human-machine interfacefor subsequent operation and may be communicated to the movable barrieroperator 12 or server computer 40.

By way of example, in a densely packed urban area, the bounds of thegeofenced area 90 may be defined by the user as the street on whichgarage 16 is located. This would effectively preclude operation of themovable barrier 18 by the remote control 30 without operation of themoving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus 14 from locationswhere the remote control 30 may be within an absolute threshold distancefrom the movable barrier 18, but may not have a substantial line ofsight of the movable barrier 18 (for example, one street over from thegarage 16 or a nearby alleyway). In this embodiment, physical proximityrefers to whether the GPS coordinates of the remote control 30 indicatethat the remote control 30 is within the bounds of the geofenced area 90as defined by a user.

In some embodiments, the determination of whether the remote control 30is within the physical proximity of the location 80 associated with themovable barrier operator system 10 may be made by the controller 255 ofthe movable barrier operator 12. The controller 255 may include a memory265 that comprises a non-transitory computer-readable medium. Thecontroller 255 may also include a processor 285 operably coupled to thememory 265 and configured to execute computer-readable instructionsstored in the memory 265.

The controller 255 may be configured to determine whether the remotecontrol 30 is within the physical proximity of the location 80 based atleast in part on data obtained by any technique for obtainingproximity-related information of the remote control 30 including, butnot limited to, dead reckoning determinations, angle of arrivalmeasurements, time of flight measurements, received signal strengthindication (RSSI) thresholding, comparison of global navigationsatellite system (GNSS) data such as GPS data, analysis of data obtainedvia one or more remote sensors (e.g., a camera configured to captureand/or detect image data including one or more physical characteristicsof a user), LiDAR scanning, LORAN or a combination thereof.Alternatively, the communication circuitry 250 may receive datarepresentative of a proximity determination already made by anotherdevice such as, for example, a processor 355 (See FIG. 3) of the remotecontrol 30 or a processor 455 (See FIG. 4) of the server computer 40.

For example, the controller 255 may determine whether the remote control30 is located within or beyond the physical proximity of the location 80through RSSI thresholding. The signal strength of a radio frequencycommunication from the remote control 30 will decrease as the distancebetween the remote control 30 and location 80 increases. In thisembodiment, the controller 255 of the movable barrier operator 12 mayinclude the memory 265 for storing a threshold signal strengthcorresponding with a physical distance between the remote control 30 andthe location 80 wherein an imminent motion notification would typicallybe output. Upon the communication circuitry 250 receiving a radiofrequency communication from a remote control 30, the controller 255 isconfigured to retrieve the threshold signal strength from the memory 265and compare the received signal strength of the communication with thethreshold signal strength. Upon the comparison indicating that thereceived signal strength of the communication is below the threshold,the remote control 30 is determined to be beyond the physical proximity,and the controller 255 will effect operation of the moving-barrierimminent motion notification apparatus 14 in combination with a changeof state of the movable barrier 18. Conversely, when the received signalstrength is above the threshold, the controller 255 will not effectoperation of the moving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus14, and will instead operate the movable barrier 18 without an imminentmotion notification.

In embodiments where the proximity determination is calculated by anangle of arrival of the communication from the remote control 30, atleast two sensors 270, 271 having antennae may be associated with themovable barrier operator system 10. Upon the remote control 30communicating the command message to the communication circuitry 250 ofthe movable barrier operator 12, the controller 255 is configured todetermine a direction and distance of the remote control 30 relative tothe sensors 270, 271 based at least in part on the time of arrival ofthe command message at each individual sensor 270, 271. The directionand the distance determined using the angle of arrival sensors 270, 271may then be used either alone or in combination with otherproximity-related information by the controller 255 to perform theproximity determination and determine whether the remote control 30 islocated within or beyond the physical proximity of the location 80.

The movable barrier operator 12 may also include one or more time offlight sensors 272. Each time of flight sensor 272 may employ a varietyof signals including, but not limited to, ultrasound/ultrasonic andinfrared signals for determining whether the remote control 30 is withinor beyond the physical proximity of the location 80 associated with themovable barrier operator system 10. For example, the time of flightsensor 272 may emit infrared light at a first time, T₁, which may bereflected by a vehicle 100 (see FIG. 1) including the mobilecommunication device 34, and received back at the time of flight sensor272 at a second time, T₂. The controller 255 may then perform a time offlight calculation based at least in part on the time between T₁ and T₂to approximate the distance between the time of flight sensor 272 andthe vehicle 100 including the remote control 30. The controller 255 maythen compare that distance to a threshold distance stored in the memory265 to determine whether the remote control 30 is within or beyond thephysical proximity of the location 80 associated with the movablebarrier operator system 10. Phase shift or frequency shift of an emittedsignal from time of flight sensor 272 and a reflected/received signalmay additionally or alternatively be employed for the determination ofphysical proximity.

A variety of remote sensors 70 may be used to obtain data fordetermining whether the vehicle 100 including the remote control 30 iswithin or beyond the physical proximity of the location 80 associatedwith the movable barrier operator system 10. For example, an opticalemitter and an optical detector may be located on opposing sides of adriveway and may be used to determine whether vehicle 100 including theremote control 30 is positioned thereupon. For example, if vehicle 100including the remote control 30 interrupts a light beam between theoptical emitter and optical detector, the emitter and/or detector maycommunicate with the communication circuitry 250 of the movable barrieroperator 12 to indicate that the remote control 30 is within thephysical proximity. To prevent false positives associated with otherobjects interrupting the light beam, such as a dog or child, thecontroller 255 may only inhibit operation of the moving-barrier imminentmotion notification apparatus 14 if the light beam is interrupted withina defined time period after a user sends a command message using theremote control 30. For example, if the light beam is not interruptedwithin 1-3 milliseconds upon the communication circuitry 250 receivingthe radio frequency communication from the remote control 30, then themoving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus 14 will operateand provide an imminent motion notification.

Additionally, the remote sensors 70 may be integrated as part of aconnected or “smart” city. For example, a number of different remotesensors 70 may be used to determine the location of the vehicle 100including the remote control 30 as the vehicle 100 traverses through thecity. The vehicle 100 including the remote control 30 may include anemitter 74 for emitting a radio frequency beacon signal having a uniqueidentifier associated with the vehicle 100 such that a remote sensor 70may detect the beacon signal. Such a remote sensor 70 may be located,for example, in streetlights, street signs, on a building, or otherfixed or mobile devices configured for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V),vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), vehicle-to-anything (V2X)communications and the like. Once the beacon signal is detected, theidentity of the remote sensor 70 and an indication that the remotesensor 70 detected the vehicle 100 is communicated to the communicationcircuitry 250 of the movable barrier operator 12. The controller 255 maythen determine the location of the vehicle 100 based at least in part onthe location of the remote sensor 70 stored in the memory 265.

The remote sensor 70 may also include an optical sensor configured todetect a light emitted by the remote control 30 or by the vehicle 100.The remote control 30 may include a light emitter to emit light inresponse to a user interacting with the user interface 352 of the remotecontrol 30 such that the optical sensor may detect the emitted light.The remote sensor 70 may then communicate to the communication circuitry250 that the light was detected by the optical sensor of the remotesensor 70, thus indicating that the remote control 30 is in anunobstructed line of sight of the movable barrier 18 and causing thecontroller 255 to not operate the moving-barrier imminent motionnotification apparatus 14.

As another example, the remote sensor 70 may be a camera such as aclosed-circuit television camera that may be located at variousintersections throughout a city, and a processor associated therewithmay determine the relative location of a vehicle 100 including a remotecontrol 30 based at least in part using image recognition technology.Additionally, the location of the camera or cameras may be stored in thememory 265 of the movable barrier operator 12. For example, the remotecontrol 30 may be integrated in the vehicle 100 and the vehicle 100 hasa unique license plate that may be identified by the processorassociated with the camera to determine that the vehicle 100 is near thecamera. An indication of the vehicle 100 being in proximity to thecamera may then be transmitted to the communication circuitry 250 of themovable barrier operator 12. Based on the location of the camera thathas been stored in the memory 265, the controller 255 can determine thelocation of the vehicle 100. If the location of the vehicle 100including the remote control 30 is determined to be beyond the physicalproximity of the location 80 associated with the movable barrieroperator system 10, the moving-barrier imminent motion notificationapparatus 14 will operate in combination with any change in state of themovable barrier 18.

Regarding FIGS. 8-10, in other forms, the remote sensor 70 may includeat least one camera 240 (FIG. 10) configured to capture image data. Suchimage data may include a video feed, or one or more frames captured bythe camera 240. The camera 240 may be further configured to provideimage recognition operability either alone or in combination with aseparate processing device such as a server computer, home integratedhub, NAS server, movable barrier operator 12, or the moving barrierimminent motion notification apparatus 14 (in forms where the movingbarrier imminent motion notification apparatus 14 includes a processor).The camera 240 may capture images and/or video and may provide streamingvideo to a remote computer such as a server computer 300. The servercomputer 300 may include one or more server computers, such as a servercomputer of a manufacturer of the movable barrier operator 12 and aserver computer of a service provider or other third party desiringaccess to the garage 12 (and/or attached residence) via the movablebarrier 18. The video captured by the camera 240 may be taken at a rateof, for example, 30 to 60 frames per second. In some forms, the field ofview of the camera 240 includes the area inside and/or outside of asecured area, such as a garage of a residence. When a user, such as adelivery person 246 or a resident, enters the field of view of thecamera 240, the image data captured by the camera 240 may include orotherwise be used to determine one or more physical characteristics ofthe user.

As shown in FIG. 10, the camera 240 may include a processor 241, acommunication interface 243, and a memory 245. In some forms, the camera240 may be configured to analyze the image data, such as comparing thedetected physical characteristic to an authorized physicalcharacteristic, and determine whether the user is verified to controlthe movable barrier operator 12. Additionally or alternatively, thecamera 240 may communicate the image data to a separate processingdevice or entity to be analyzed. In still other forms, the camera 240may be configured to perform at least a portion of the processing (e.g.,the camera 240 may perform facial detection or other preliminaryprocessing) and communicate the image data or detected facial featuresto another device for further processing (e.g., identity recognitionbased at least in part on the facial detection performed by the camera).

The determination of whether a user is verified may be utilized as afactor in determining whether the remote control 30 is within a physicalproximity of the location 80 and whether activation of themoving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus 14 is required. Asanother example, the physical characteristic of the user may be thedistance of the user from the camera 240 and either the camera 240 or aseparate processing device may determine whether the user is within aphysical proximity of the location 80 associated with the movablebarrier operator system 10 based on the distance of the user from thecamera 240. Alternatively or additionally, the camera 240 maycommunicate, via the communication interface 243, image data to themovable barrier operator 12 and/or the server computer 300 so that themovable barrier operator 12 and/or server computer 300 may analyze imagedata from the camera 240 as described above.

As an example, upon receiving the captured image data from the camera240, the controller 255 (FIG. 2) of the movable barrier operator 12 maydetermine that the user is within a line of sight of the movable barrier18 based at least in part upon detection of the user looking at the atleast one camera 240. If the controller 255 determines that the user iswithin a line of sight of the movable barrier 18, the operation may beclassified as an attended or local operation such that activation of themoving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus 14 is notrequired. Alternatively or additionally, the movable barrier operator 12may be configured to determine whether the user is a verified user basedat least in part on the detected physical characteristic, as describedin further detail below.

Operation of the camera 240 incorporating image recognition technologywill be described with respect to FIGS. 8-10 showing an exampleembodiment where the user associated with the remote control 30 is apackage delivery associate or delivery person of a delivery servicescompany.

Regarding FIG. 8, a delivery person 246 is proximate the garage 16 witha parcel, item or package 248 to be delivered therein. In order tochange the state of the movable barrier 18, the delivery person 246 hasa remote control 30 (see FIGS. 1-4) in the form of a tablet orsmartphone 249 to send a communication to the movable barrier operator12. As shown, the movable barrier 18 is in an open position. In theillustrated form, the camera 240 includes two cameras 242, 244positioned proximate the garage 16 and communicatively coupled to themovable barrier operator 12. In some embodiments, the cameras 242, 244may be spaced from one another such that a greater field of view isprovided. So configured, the cameras 242, 244 may capture image datafrom which one or more physical characteristics of the delivery person246 may be determined by either a processor of the cameras 242, 244 or aseparate processing device (e.g., a remote server computer, movablebarrier operator 12, moving barrier imminent motion notificationapparatus 14, a home integrated hub, or a NAS server).

In embodiments including two cameras 242, 244 (or more than twocameras), each camera may include its own processor such that eachcamera 242, 244 may capture and detect physical characteristics of auser independently. In other forms, the camera 240 may alternativelyinclude two separate lenses such that the camera 240 may capture imagedata from each separate lens in a similar manner as an embodimentincluding two separate cameras.

After placing the package 248 within the garage 16, as shown in FIG. 9,the delivery person 246 may send a close command to the movable barrieroperator 12 via the smartphone 249 to close the movable barrier 18. Uponreceiving the close command, the controller 255 of the movable barrieroperator 12 may analyze the image data captured by the cameras 242, 244to determine whether the delivery person 246 and smartphone 249therewith are within the physical proximity such that an imminent motionnotification is not required. For example, the image data may include adetected physical characteristic such as one or more facial features ofthe delivery person 246. Upon receiving the image data, the controller255 may determine whether the delivery person 246 is looking at acomponent of the movable barrier operator system 10, such as the movablebarrier 18, by analyzing the detected facial features. For example, ifthe controller 255 determines the entire face of the delivery person 246is visible in the field of view of one of the cameras 242, 244, thedelivery person 246 may be determined to be looking at the one camera242, 244.

Upon the controller 255 determining that the delivery person 246 islooking at one of the cameras 242, 244, the controller 255 considers thedelivery person 246 to be in a line of sight of the movable barrier 18which is in front of the cameras 242, 244. Because the delivery person246 is in the line of sight of the movable barrier 18, the controller255 can determine that the close command from the smartphone 249 is alocal close command and that the closing of the movable barrier 18 is anattended closing. Thus, the controller 255 determines that the deliveryperson 246 is within a physical proximity of the location 80 and mayclose the movable barrier 18 without causing operation of themoving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus 14.

Conversely, when the controller 255 determines that the delivery person246 is not looking at one of the cameras 242, 244 when a close commandis received, or that the delivery person 246 has not been identifiedwithin a defined interval of time, the operation may be classified as anunattended close. The controller 255 determines that the delivery person246 is outside of the physical proximity of the location 80 and maycause the moving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus 14 tooutput an alert. The image recognition and other processes may beperformed in whole or part at one or more of the movable barrieroperator 12, camera 240, and the server computer 300. For example, oneor more operations involved in determining one or more physicalcharacteristics of a delivery person 246 using data from the camera 240may be performed via at least one of the controller 255 of the movablebarrier operator 12, the processor 241 of the camera 240, and the servercomputer 300.

The one or more physical characteristics of the delivery person 246detected by the camera 240 may include any number of characteristics.For example, the physical characteristic may include at least one of aheight, facial features, a gait, a position, an article of clothing, anitem held by the user, an indicia of the user or an indicia of an itemheld by the user, a symbol (e.g., a corporate logo, QR code, or othergeometric shape), a retroreflective symbol (e.g., held by the user,affixed to the user's clothes, or part of a wearable accessory), amongothers. In other forms, the physical characteristic may be determinedvia machine learning to extract a feature vector representative of oneor more physical characteristics. Such a feature vector may berepresentative of one or more physical characteristics that a neuralnetwork has detected in an image or video captured by the camera 240.For example, such machine learning may incorporate deep-learning using adeep neural network.

The determination of whether the remote control 30 is within or beyond aphysical proximity of the location 80 associated with the movablebarrier operator system 10 may involve determining whether the deliveryperson 246 is a verified user based at least in part on the detectedphysical characteristic. Verification may be desirable to, for example,determine or disambiguate an identity of the delivery person 246 and/ordetermine whether the delivery person 246 is within the physicalproximity. For instance, the processor 241 of the camera 240 may beconfigured to compare the user physical characteristic detected by thecameras 242, 244 to authorized user physical characteristic data storedin the memory 265 to determine whether the delivery person 246 isverified. If the delivery person 246 is verified, the movable barrieroperator 12 may close the movable barrier 18 without the moving barrierimminent motion notification apparatus 14 generating an alert and themovable barrier operator 12 may close the movable barrier 18 without thedelivery person 246 having to monitor the closing. The delivery person246 may depart upon initiating closing of the movable barrier 18 whichreduces the time the delivery person 246 has to spend at the garage 16.

The authorized user physical characteristic data may include, forexample, one or more profiles of authorized users including known orpreviously detected physical characteristics such that presentlydetected physical characteristics of a user may be compared thereto. Asan example, the profile of an authorized user may include datarepresentative of the user's face, height, gait, and/or uniform. In someforms, the authorized user physical characteristic data may be providedby a delivery services company associated with the delivery person 246.

In one example where the physical characteristic includes facialfeatures, the processor 241 of the camera 240 may be configured tocompare the facial features of the delivery person 246 captured by thecamera 240 to facial features of an authorized delivery person 246(e.g., facial features in a user a profile provided by the deliveryservices company). If the captured facial features and the facialfeatures in the profile match, the processor 241 of the camera 240causes the communication interface 243 to send a communication to thecontroller 255 of the movable barrier operator 12 indicating that thedelivery person 246 is a verified user. In other embodiments, thecontroller 255 of the movable barrier operator 12 and/or the servercomputer 300 may perform some or all operations constituting analyzationof the image data from the camera 240 and/or determination of whetherthe user is verified.

Upon a determination of the delivery person 246 being verified, themovable barrier operator 12 may be configured to change a state of themovable barrier 18 without causing operation of the imminent motionnotification apparatus 14. In another example, the controller 255 of themovable barrier operator 12 will change a state of the movable barrier18 without causing operation of the imminent motion notificationapparatus 14 only if multiple factors are satisfied. For example, thecontroller 255 may only cause a change of the state of the movablebarrier 18 if the delivery person 246 is verified using image datacaptured by the camera 240 within a set time period, such as fiveminutes, of the smartphone 249 entering a geofenced area near themovable barrier 18. The controller 255 of the movable barrier operator12 may receive a communication from the server computer 300 via anetwork 310 (FIG. 10) that indicates the smartphone 249 is within thegeofenced area. As another example factor, the controller 255 may haveto determine that the delivery person 246 is within a line of sight ofthe movable barrier 18 before determining the smartphone 249 is withinthe predetermined proximity of the location 80. Other factors may beconsidered in determining whether the smartphone 249 is within thepredetermined proximity of the location 80, such as RSSI thresholding.

Referring now to FIG. 10, a schematic view is provided of the movablebarrier operator 12 communicatively coupled to the at least one camera240, the server computer 300, a primary device 305 associated with anindividual (e.g., a homeowner or resident of the premises) associatedwith the movable barrier operator 12, and the smartphone 249 of thedelivery person 246 via the network 310. In one embodiment, the camera240 is a component of the movable barrier operator 12. The network 310may include one or more networks, for example, at least one long-rangenetwork such as a cellular network, a short-range network such as aWi-Fi network, and the internet. In some embodiments, the authorizeduser physical characteristic data may be received from the servercomputer 300, which may include a server or plurality of serversassociated with the delivery services company. The authorized userphysical characteristic data may be stored in the memory 265 of themovable barrier operator 12, the memory 245 of the camera 240, and/orthe server computer 300. The authorized user physical characteristicdata may only be stored temporarily in the memory 265 or memory 245. Forexample, the authorized user physical characteristic data may be deletedfrom the memory 265 or memory 245 after a period of time, such as fiveminutes. The period of time may be triggered by one or more events, suchas the smartphone 249 entering a geofenced area and/or the deliveryperson 246 causing the smartphone 249 to send a close command to themovable barrier operator 12. In some forms, the controller 255 of themovable barrier operator 12 may be configured to communicate anotification indicating either a successful or unsuccessful verificationto the primary device 305 associated with the resident.

In still other forms, the at least one camera 240 or movable barrieroperator 12 may be configured to communicate the captured image data,the detected physical characteristic, or information representative ofthe detected physical characteristic to the server computer 300. In suchforms, the server computer 300 may perform the comparison to knownauthorized user physical characteristic data. The server computer 300may then send a verification communication indicative of whether thedelivery person 246 is verified to the movable barrier operator 12. Thecontroller 255 of the movable barrier operator 12 may then determinewhether the user is within the physical proximity based at least in parton receipt of the verification communication.

The detection of the physical characteristic via the cameras 242, 244and the verification of the delivery person 246 limits delay and avoidsan alert (e.g., flashing light and/or sound alarm) of the moving-barrierimminent motion notification apparatus 14 when, for example, thedelivery person 246 has finished delivering the package 248 and isproximate or on a driveway of garage 16. Although the embodimentsdescribed with respect to FIGS. 8-10 refer to detection of physicalcharacteristics and verification of a delivery person 246, suchdetection and verification can be performed on any user associated withthe movable barrier operator system 10 (e.g., an owner of the garage 16,a guest, another service provider, etc.).

As an example in this regard, data representative of a homeowner's gaitmay be stored in the memory 245. If the homeowner walks through thefield of view of the camera 240 and uses his smartphone to close themovable barrier 18, the processor 241 of the camera 240 compares aperson's gait captured by the camera 240 to the stored datarepresentative of the homeowner's gait. If there is a correspondencebetween the detected gait and the stored, known/authorized gait of thehomeowner, the processor 241 sends a communication to the processor 255of the movable barrier operator 12 indicating the person in the field ofview is verified, e.g., the authorized homeowner. The controller 255 ofthe movable barrier operator 12 may then close the movable barrier 18without operating the moving barrier imminent movement notification 14because the presence of the homeowner in or near the garage 16 wasconfirmed by the camera 240.

With reference to FIG. 11, an example method 1100 is provided foroperating the movable barrier operator 12 using the remote control 30wherein the physical proximity determination is based at least in parton a detected physical characteristic of the user. The user may be, forexample, the delivery person 246 or a resident.

The method 1100 includes receiving 1102 a communication from a remotecontrol 30, such as smartphone 249. The remote control 30 is configuredto cause the movable barrier operator 12 to change a state of themovable barrier 18. For example, the remote control 30 may automaticallysend a state change request communication to the movable barrieroperator 12 upon the remote control 30 leaving a geofenced area of thelocation 80. As another example, the remote control 30 sends a statechange request communication to the movable barrier operator 12 upon theuser providing an input to a user interface, such as pressing a “close”virtual button displayed on a touchscreen of the remote control 30.

The method 1100 includes detecting 1104 a physical characteristic of auser via a camera, such as camera 240. In some forms, the physicalcharacteristic may be, for example, a distance of the user from thecamera 240. For example, if the camera 240 includes cameras 242, 244 (ortwo separate lenses as described above), the controller 255 may beconfigured to triangulate a position of the user based on detected imagedata of the cameras 242, 244. The controller 255 may be configured tocompare the position of the user in the image data detected by bothcameras 242, 244 and the relative distance between the cameras 242, 244to identify the position of the user. Additionally or alternatively, theimage feed from the cameras 242, 244 may be extracted such that athree-dimensional reconstruction (stereo vision) of the environment maybe obtained. The stereo vision may then be used to determine thepositioning of the user relative to the garage 16 or movable barrieroperator 12.

The position of the user may alternatively be determined via machinelearning using a single camera. For example, image data of the cameramay be analyzed using a convolutional deep neural network to extractmotions and/or behaviors of the user. Once the deep neural network hasbeen trained to detect to the position of the garage 16 and garage door18, the position of the user may be estimated relative to the garagespace and garage door 18 to determine whether an imminent motionnotification would be required.

In yet another form, the position of the user may be determined usingstructured-light vision. For example, a structured pattern of light maybe emitted from a light source on or proximate the camera 240 and theinteraction of the light with the environment can be used to estimate adepth of each pixel thereof. The estimated depths may then be used toestimate distance and position of various objects or individuals (e.g.,the user). Such structured-light vision determinations may be used inconnection with stereo vision, or other methods, to improve the accuracyof such positioning estimates.

In other forms, the camera 240 may be positioned or set up proximate anentry of the garage 16 near garage door 18 such that the user is only inview of the camera when the user is outside of the garage environment.So configured, the position of the user may be approximately determinedas at least outside of the garage 16, which may be utilized inconnection with the above-described positioning determinations.

In one embodiment, the method 1100 includes determining 1105 whether theuser is verified. The determination 1105 may include comparing thephysical characteristic detected by the camera 240 at operation 1104 toauthorized user physical characteristic data. For example, thedetermination 1105 may involve comparing one or more detected facialfeatures of a user detected by the camera 240 to one or more facialfeatures of an authorized user, such as an authorized package deliveryperson 246 or the homeowner. In one form, the camera 240 is configuredto receive the authorized user physical characteristic data of the userfrom the server computer 300 and store the data in the memory 245 of thecamera 240. The memory 245 may only store the authorized user physicalcharacteristic data temporarily, with the processor 241 of the camera240 deleting the authorized user physical characteristic data from thememory 245 after a predetermined period of time (e.g., about 10minutes).

In other forms, the movable barrier operator 12 in communication orassociated with the camera 240 may be configured to communicateinformation representative of the detected physical characteristic tothe server computer 300 associated with the movable barrier operatorsystem 10. Thereafter, the determining 1105 may be performed by theserver computer 300 using, for example, a deep neural network. Upon thecomparison between the physical characteristics of the user and theauthorized user physical characteristics data, the server computer maybe configured to determine a percent likelihood that there is an exactmatch. The server computer 300 may then send a verificationcommunication indicating that the detected physical characteristiccorresponds to the stored authorized user physical characteristic datawhen the determined percent likelihood of a match exceeds a definedaccuracy threshold (i.e., above ninety percent).

The method 1100 includes receiving 1107 a communication regarding thelocation of the remote control 30. The communication may be, forexample, a location confirmation communication sent from the servercomputer 300 to the movable barrier operator 12 and/or camera 240indicating the remote control 30 is within a geofenced area of thelocation 80. The server computer 300 may receive location data such asGPS data from the remote control 30 and compare the location of theremote control 30 to the GPS data indicating the perimeter of thegeofence to determine whether the remote control 30 has traveled into orout of the geofenced area. As another example, the remote control 30 maysend information representative of wireless networks within range of theremote control 30 to the server computer 300. The server computer 300may compare the wireless network information from the remote control 30to one or more wireless networks detected by the movable barrieroperator 12. If the remote control 30 detects a wireless network that isalso detected by the movable barrier operator 12, the server computer300 may determine that remote control 30 is near the garage 16 and sendsthe location-related communication which is received 1107 by the movablebarrier operator for use in decision block 1106.

The method 1100 includes determining 1106 whether the remote control 30is within or beyond a physical proximity of the location 80. Thedetermining 1106 may take into account data from the detecting 1104,determining 1105, and receiving 1107 operations. The determining 1106may determine whether the remote control is within or beyond thephysical proximity of the location 80 based on one or more of theoperations 1104, 1105, 1107. In one embodiment, the controller 255 ofthe movable barrier operator 12 determines 1106 that the remote control30 is within the physical proximity of the location 80 if: the operation1104 detects a particular physical characteristic of a user; theoperation 1105 determines the user is verified; and the controller 255receives 1107 a location confirmation communication from the remoteserver computer 300 regarding location data from the remote control 30indicating the remote control 30 is near the location 80.

The determining 1106 may also involve assigning varying weights to thedifferent factors under consideration. For example, the determining 1105may be given less weight than the operations of detecting 1104 andreceiving 1107. With this weighting, the determining 1106 may result ina determination of the remote control 30 being within the physicalproximity if: 1) the physical characteristic detected at operation 1104is a distance between the user and the camera 240 that is within athreshold; 2) the movable barrier operator 12 received 1107 acommunication indicating that the remote control 30 is within a geofenceof the location 80; and 3) the operation 1105 is unable to determinewhether the user is verified. The determining 1106 may result in thedetermination of the remote control 30 being within the physicalproximity because the operations 1104, 1107 independently indicate thatthe user is in proximity to the location 80. The inability of theoperation 1105 to verify the identity of the user may not prevent thedetermination 1106 of the remote control 30 being within the physicalproximity of the location 80 due to the less weight given to operation1105.

Upon a determination at operation 1106 that the remote control is beyondthe physical proximity of the location 80, the method 1100 includescausing 1108 the moving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus14 to output an alert in combination with the change of state of themovable barrier 18. Alternatively, upon a determination at operation1106 that the remote control 30 is within the physical proximity of thelocation 80, at operation 1110 the controller 255 is configured to causethe moving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus 14 to refrainfrom outputting the alert in combination with the change of state of themovable barrier 18.

Referring again generally to FIGS. 1-2, the communication circuitry 250includes a wireless short-range communication interface 275 configuredto communicate with the remote control 30 based on, for example, apaired relationship. The wireless short-range communication interface275 may utilize one or more protocols including Zigbee, Z-Wave,Bluetooth (or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)), Near Field Communications(NFC), Long Terminal Repeat (LTR), Wi-Fi, WiMAX, or other proprietary orpublic wireless communication methods. During setup of the remotecontrol 30, the remote control 30 may be paired to the wirelessshort-range communication interface 275 such that pairing information isretained to provide a connection therebetween automatically when theremote control 30 is within the connection range of the interface 275.The connection range of the interface 275 may be selected such that aconnection between the interface 275 and the remote control 30 indicatesthat the vehicle 100 including the remote control 30 is within thephysical proximity of the location 80 associated with the movablebarrier operator system 10. So configured, the controller 255 may effecta change of state of the movable barrier 18 without operating themoving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus 14 when the remotecontrol 30 is connected to the interface 275.

In other forms, the communication circuitry 250 may be configured tocommunicate with the remote control 30 based on an unpairedrelationship. For example, the remote control 30 may include a uniqueidentifier (e.g., a Bluetooth address, a near field communication (NFC)identifier, a WiFi MAC address, etc.). The unique identifier may bestored by server computer 300 and communicated to the movable barrieroperator 12 such that presence of radio signals from the specific remotecontrol 30 may be identified thereby. In still other forms, the user'sremote control 30 may incorporate a “tap-to-open” or “tap-to-close” NFCinteraction such that the remote control 30 may be tapped or placed neara control panel associated with the movable barrier operator 12 to causeoperation thereof. So configured, the controller 255 may determine thatthe remote control 30 using the “tap-to-open” or “tap-to-close”interaction must be within the physical proximity of the location 80such that an imminent motion notification is not required.

By another approach, a LiDAR system 280 may be used to determine whetherthe remote control 30 is located within or beyond the physical proximityof the location 80 associated with the movable barrier operator system10. For example, the vehicle 100 including the remote control 30 mayadditionally include a LiDAR system 280 configured to sense surroundingsusing pulsed laser light and measure the reflected pulses to create adigital 3-D representation of the environment. So configured, the LiDARsystem 280 may identify when the vehicle 100 is in view of the movablebarrier 18 associated with the remote control 30. The LiDAR system 280may then communicate a determination that the movable barrier 18 is inan unobstructed line of sight of the vehicle 100 to the remote control30. The remote control 30 may in turn communicate with the communicationcircuitry 250 of the movable barrier operator 12 to indicate that theremote control 30 is within the physical proximity of the location 80associated with the movable barrier operator system 10 such thatoperation of the moving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus14 is not required.

Determining whether the remote control 30 is within the physicalproximity of the location 80 may also be based at least in part onglobal navigation satellite system (GNSS) data such as, for example,global positioning satellite (GPS) coordinates including a latitude anda longitude associated with the remote control 30. In one embodiment,the communication circuitry 350 of the remote control 30 includes a GPSreceiver configured to receive data from GPS satellites that the GPSreceiver or the controller 255 uses to determine the location of theremote control 30. By way of example, the location 80 associated withthe movable barrier operator system 10 may be the geofenced area 90 asshown in FIG. 1. When the GPS data indicates that the remote control 30is outside of or beyond the geofenced area 90, the controller 255 of themovable barrier operator system 10 will effect operation of themoving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus 14 in combinationwith a change of state of the movable barrier 18. The latitude andlongitude of the remote control 30 may be communicated directly to thecommunication circuitry 250 of the movable barrier operator 12, or mayadditionally or alternatively be sent to the server computer 40, whichmay then communicate the latitude and longitude to the communicationcircuitry 250.

In one embodiment, the memory 265 of the controller 255 is configuredfor storing a threshold distance corresponding with the physicalproximity of the location 80 associated with the movable barrieroperator system 10. The controller 255 is configured to compare thethreshold distance stored in the memory 265 to the distance measuredbetween the remote control 30 and the location 80. For example, thedistance between the remote control 30 and the location 80 may bedetermined using GPS data and comparing the latitude and longitude ofthe remote control 30 to the latitude and longitude of the location todetermine the absolute distance therebetween. Additionally oralternatively, the distance between the remote control 30 and thelocation 80 may correspond to the distance the vehicle 100 including theremote control 30 will have to travel along one or more roads to reachthe location 80. When the absolute distance between the remote control30 and the location 80 is greater than the threshold distance, thecontroller 255 is configured to effect operation of the moving-barrierimminent motion notification apparatus 14 in combination with a changein state of the movable barrier 18 in response the communicationcircuitry 250 receiving a communication. Additionally, the communicationcircuitry 255 is configured to receive a second, updated thresholddistance from a remote server, such as server computer 40, when a useradjusts the threshold distance. The controller 255 is configured tostore the updated threshold distance in the memory 265 for performingthe next proximity determination. The receipt of an updated distancethreshold may cause the controller 255 to remove the prior distancethreshold from the memory 265.

Further, any number of techniques described herein for determining theproximity of the remote control 30 may be used in connection with oneanother to perform the proximity determination via a sensor fusionalgorithm. For example, the proximity determination may rely on bothRSSI thresholding in addition to comparison of GPS coordinates, or anyother combination of proximity determining techniques to increase atleast one of the accuracy, reliability, and precision of the proximitydetermination. In some embodiments, if even one of the techniquesdetermines that the remote control 30 is beyond the physical proximityof the location 80 associated with the movable barrier operator system10, then operation of the moving-barrier imminent motion notificationapparatus 14 will still occur for the safety reasons discussed herein.For instance, in an example embodiment relying on both GPS coordinatesand connection with the wireless short-range interface 275, even if theremote control 30 is connected to the interface 275, when the GPScoordinates indicate that the remote control 30 is beyond the physicalproximity then the controller 255 will still effect operation of themoving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus 14 in combinationwith operation of the movable barrier 18.

In some embodiments, various other local and remote devices andcomponents may perform the proximity determination in accordance withthe above-discussed proximity determining techniques and communicatethat determination to the communication circuitry 250 of the movablebarrier operator 12. For instance, the server computer 40 or anothercomputing device associated with the movable barrier operator system 10may determine whether the remote control 30 is within or beyond thephysical proximity of the location 80 and communicate the determinationto the communication circuitry 250 of the movable barrier operator 12.Such remote determinations may then instruct the controller 255 whetherto effect operation of the moving-barrier imminent motion notificationapparatus 14. In other embodiments, a processor 355 (see FIG. 3) of theremote control 30 may be configured to perform the proximitydetermination and communicate that determination via communicationcircuitry 350 to the communication circuitry 250 of the movable barrieroperator 12.

A loop detector may be used in the determination of whether the remotecontrol 30 is within the physical proximity. The loop detector maydetermine whether the vehicle 100 including the remote control 30 iswithin the physical proximity based on, for example, changes ininductance or measuring changes in the earth's magnetic field when thevehicle 100 including the remote control 30 passes over a buried orin-pavement loop of the loop detector. An output signal from the loopdetector indicating a determination that the remote control 30 is withinthe physical proximity may then be sent to the communication circuitry250 of the movable barrier operator 12. Upon receiving a communicationfrom the remote control 30 in conjunction with the loop detectorindicating that the remote control 30 is within the physical proximity,the controller 255 effects a change of state of the movable barrier 18without operating the moving-barrier imminent motion notificationapparatus 14.

With reference to FIG. 3, the communication circuitry 350 is configuredto send a communication to the movable barrier operator 12 to effectmovement of the movable barrier 18. For example, the communicationcircuitry 350 may include a radio frequency transmitter or transceiverconfigured to communicate with the movable barrier operator 12 via radiofrequency signals in the 300 MHz to 900 MHz range. Alternatively oradditionally, the communication circuitry 350 may include a wirelesswide area network interface/device configured to communicate viacellular (for example, 3G, 4G, 4G LTE, 5G), Wi-MAX, LoRa, or otherapproaches.

The communication circuitry 350 is further configured to transmit orreceive at least one locating indicium used in determining whether theremote control 30 is within the physical proximity of the location 80associated with the movable barrier operator system 10. The remotecontrol 30 further includes a user interface 352 to receive a user inputand, optionally, to provide information to the user.

The processor 355 is connected to the communication circuitry 350, theuser interface 352, and a memory 365. The memory 365 comprises anon-transitory computer-readable medium that can store, for example, afixed or static identifier of the remote control 30, a rolling codealgorithm and a current rolling identifier, location data (for example,latitude and longitude coordinates of the geofence 90), or anycombination thereof.

The processor 355 is configured to effect movement of the movablebarrier 18 in combination with an imminent motion notification when theremote control 30 is determined to be beyond the physical proximity ofthe location 80. The processor 355 is configured to effect movement ofthe movable barrier 18 by, for example, causing the communicationcircuitry 350 to send a radio frequency communication directly to themovable barrier operator 12. Alternatively, the processor 355 may send acommunication indirectly to the movable barrier operator 12 by causingthe communication circuitry 350 to send a state change request to theserver computer 40. In turn, the server computer 40 may then send acommand message to the movable barrier operator 12 via the network 44.

The user interface 352 may include a display screen, one or morebuttons, a microphone, a speaker, or a combination thereof. A user inputat the user interface 352 may cause the processor 355 to cause thecommunication circuitry 350 to send a communication directly orindirectly to the movable barrier operator 12.

The determination of whether the remote control 30 is within or beyondthe physical proximity of the location 80 associated with the movablebarrier operator system 10 may be performed by the processor 355 of theremote control 30. In one embodiment, the communication circuitry 350 ofthe remote control 30 may be configured to receive a locating indiciumfrom an external device such as, for example, the server computer 40 orthe movable barrier operator system 10. In another embodiment, thecommunication circuitry 350 of the remote control 30 is configured totransmit the locating indicium to the movable barrier operator 12, theserver computer 40, and/or another device.

The at least one locating indicium transmitted or received by thecommunication circuitry 350 may include raw data obtained by any of theproximity techniques discussed above with respect to FIG. 2, amongothers, or data representing a determination of a location of the remotecontrol 30. As other examples, the at least one locating indicium mayinclude a signal associated with cell tower triangulation of the remotecontrol 30 or an ultrasonic sound. The proximity determination may bebased at least in part on any of the locating indicia described herein,among others.

Upon the processor 355 determining that the remote control 30 is withinthe physical proximity of the location 80 associated with the movablebarrier operator system 10, the communication circuitry 350 maycommunicate a non-notification instruction or indication to thecommunication circuitry 250 of the movable barrier operator. Thecommunication that the remote control 30 sends to the movable barrieroperator 12 to effect a change of state of the movable barrier maycontain the non-notification instruction. In another approach, thenon-notification instruction may be a separate communication.

The non-notification instruction is configured to instruct thecontroller 255 of the movable barrier operator 12 to not operate themoving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus 14 when themovable barrier 18 is opened or closed. As another example, thecontroller 255 does not operate the moving-barrier imminent motionnotification apparatus 14 unless the communication circuitry 250receives a notification instruction from the remote control 30. Theprocessor 355 may effect non-operation of the moving-barrier imminentnotification apparatus 14 by not sending the notification instruction tothe movable barrier operator 12.

In one embodiment, the communication circuitry 350 of the remote control30 includes a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and the atleast one locating indicium includes data from GPS satellites. Uponreceiving the GPS data, the processor 355 of the remote control 30 maycalculate the location of the remote control 30 and compare thecalculated location with the location 80 associated with the movablebarrier operator system 10 to determine whether the remote control 30 islocated within or beyond the physical proximity. The communicationcircuitry 350 of the remote control 30 may then communicate theproximity determination to the communication circuitry 250 of themovable barrier operator 12.

In another embodiment, the at least one locating indicium may include anultrasonic signal. As another example, the remote control 30 may includean ultrasonic transmitter and the movable barrier operator 12 mayinclude an ultrasonic receiver, or vice versa. To determine whether theremote control 30 is within or beyond the physical proximity of thelocation 80 associated with the movable barrier operator system 10,either the remote control 30 or the movable barrier operator 12 may emitan ultrasonic signal which, if the remote control 30 is within thephysical proximity, may be received and then analyzed to evaluate thedistance between the remote control 30 and the movable barrier operator12.

In one embodiment, the communication circuitry 350 of the remote control30 communicates via a cellular or other wide-area or long-range network.The proximity determination may be based on triangulation data of theremote control 30. Specifically, the processor 355 of the remote control30 may measure a time delay that a cellular signal takes to return fromat least two cell towers associated with the cellular network. Theprocessor 355 may then determine the location of the remote control 30by comparing the time delays to the location of the cell towers. Thatlocation may in turn be used to determine whether the remote control iswithin or beyond the physical proximity of the location 80 associatedwith the movable barrier operator system 10. The communication circuitry350 may then communicate the proximity determination to thecommunication circuitry 250 of the movable barrier operator 12.

With reference to FIG. 4, the server computer 40 for facilitatingoperation by the remote control 30 of the movable barrier operatorsystem 10 includes a communication interface 450, a processor 455, and amemory 465. The memory 465 comprises a non-transitory computer-readablemedium that may be configured to store for example, threshold distances,threshold signal strengths, location data (for example, latitude andlongitude coordinates of the geofence 90), and other data to be used inperforming the proximity determination. The processor 455 may beconfigured to execute computer-readable instructions stored on thememory 465. The communication interface 450 is configured to communicatewith the movable barrier operator system 10 and the remote control 30via the network 44, such as the internet or a local area network, andmay also receive a state change request from the remote control 30, thestate change request configured to cause the server computer 40 toeither open or close the movable barrier 18. When the communicationinterface 450 receives the state change request from the remote control30, the processor 455 is configured to cause the communication interface450 to communicate a command message to the movable barrier operatorsystem 10. The command message is configured to effect a change in stateof the movable barrier 18 in combination with operation of themoving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus 14 upon adetermination that the remote control 30 is located beyond the physicalproximity of the location 80 associated with the movable barrieroperator system 10.

In one embodiment, the proximity determination is performed by theprocessor 455 of the server computer 40 before communicating the commandmessage to the movable barrier operator system 10. For example, thecommunication interface 450 of the server computer 40 may be configuredto receive data representing one or more characteristics of the remotecontrol 30, such as location data representing the physical location ofthe remote control 30. The location data can be raw data obtained by anyof the proximity techniques discussed above with respect to FIGS. 2-3,or data representing a determined location. The location data should beunderstood to refer to data representing the physical location of theremote control 30 that is capable of being compared to the location 80associated with the movable barrier operator system 10 to determinewhether the remote control 30 is within or beyond the physicalproximity.

Alternatively, the location data could be representative of thedetermination of the remote control 30 being within or beyond thephysical proximity made by, for example, the controller 255 or theprocessor 355, and then communicated to the communication circuitry 450of the server computer 40. Upon receiving a determination that theremote control 30 is beyond the physical proximity, the processor 455 isconfigured to cause the communication interface 450 to communicate acommand message including a non-notification signal to the communicationcircuitry 250 of the movable barrier operator 12 to effect a change instate of the movable barrier 18 without operating the moving-barrierimminent motion notification apparatus 14.

With reference to FIG. 5, a method 500 is provided for operating themovable barrier operator 12. The method 500 includes the operation 510of receiving at the movable barrier operator 12 a communication from theremote control 30 configured to change a state of the movable barrier18. The method also includes the operation 520 of determining whetherthe remote control 30 is within or beyond the physical proximity of thelocation 80 associated with the movable barrier operator system 10. Theoperation 520 may be performed, for example, by the controller 255 ofthe movable barrier operator 12. Alternatively, the operation 520 may beperformed by the processor 355 of the remote control 30 or the processor455 of the server computer 40 and communicated to the communicationcircuitry 250 of the movable barrier operator 12. The determination maybe based, at least in part, on data obtained by any of the locationdetermining techniques discussed above with respect to FIGS. 2-4. Inresponse to a determination 520 that the remote control 30 is beyond thephysical proximity, the movable barrier operator 12 is configured toeffect operation of the moving-barrier imminent motion notificationapparatus 14 in combination with movement of the movable barrier 18 inoperation 530. When the determination 520 indicates that the remotecontrol 30 is within the physical proximity, in operation 540 themovable barrier operator 12 moves the movable barrier 18 and inhibitsoperation of the moving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus14.

With reference to FIG. 6, a method 600 is provided for operating themovable barrier operator 12 using the remote control 30. The method 600includes operation 610 of receiving a user input at the user interface352 of the remote control 30 and operation 620 of communicating with themovable barrier operator 12 in response to the receiving the user input.The method 600 further includes the operation 630 of determining whetherthe remote control 30 is within or beyond the physical proximity of thelocation 80 associated with the movable barrier operator system 10. Theoperation 630 of determining may be performed, for example, by theprocessor 355 of the remote control 30. Alternatively, the operation 630may be performed by the controller 255 of the movable barrier operator12 or the processor 455 of the server computer 40 and communicated tothe communication interface 350 of the remote control 30. Thedetermination may be based, at least in part, on a locating indicium ofthe remote control 30. The locating indicium can be raw data obtained byany of the location determining techniques discussed above with respectto FIGS. 2-4, among others, or data representative of such adetermination.

The method 600 further includes operation 640 of effecting operation ofthe moving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus 14 incombination with changing a state of the movable barrier 18 upon adetermination of the remote control 30 being beyond the physicalproximity. The method 600 includes operation 650 of not effectingoperation of the moving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus14 along with effecting movement of the movable barrier when the remotecontrol 30 is determined to be within the physical proximity.Alternatively, operation 650 may include the remote control 30communicating a non-notification instruction to the communicationcircuitry 250 of the movable barrier operator 12 to effect a change instate of the movable barrier 18 without operating the moving-barrierimminent motion notification apparatus 14.

With reference to FIG. 7, a processor 455 of the server computer 40 mayexecute instructions stored on a non-transitory computer readable mediumthat cause the processor 455 to perform a method 700. The method 700includes the operation 710 of communicating with the movable barrieroperator 12 and the remote control 30 via the network 44, and operation720 of receiving a state change request from the remote control 30. Themethod 700 additionally includes operation 730 of determining whetherthe remote control 30 is within or beyond the physical proximity of thelocation 80 associated with the movable barrier operator system 10. Theoperation 730 of determining may be performed, for example, by theprocessor 455 of the server computer 40. Alternatively, the operation730 may be performed by the controller 255 of the movable barrieroperator 12 or the processor 355 of the remote control 30 andcommunicated to the communication interface 450 of the server computer40. The determination may be based, at least in part, on location dataof the remote control 30. The location data can be raw data obtained byany of the location determining techniques discussed above with respectto FIGS. 2-4, among others, or data representative of such adetermination.

Operation 740 includes effecting operation of the moving-barrierimminent motion notification apparatus 14 in combination with changing astate of the movable barrier 18 upon a determination of the remotecontrol 30 being beyond the physical proximity. At operation 750,inhibiting operation of the moving-barrier imminent motion notificationapparatus 14 is performed in conjunction with effecting movement of themovable barrier upon the remote control 30 being determined to be withinthe physical proximity.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety ofmodifications, alterations, and combinations can be made with respect tothe above described embodiments without departing from the scope of theinvention. For instance, although the described embodiments include agarage door, various types of movable barrier systems can employ theseteachings, for example, swinging gates, rolling gates, rising gates, andthe like. Such modifications, alterations, and combinations are to beviewed as being within the ambit of the inventive concept.

What is claimed is:
 1. A movable barrier operator system for controllingoperation of a movable barrier, the movable barrier operator systemcomprising: communication circuitry configured to communicate with aremote control and further configured to receive data from a remotesensor; an imminent motion notification apparatus configured to outputan alert; and a controller operably coupled to the communicationcircuitry and the imminent motion notification apparatus, the controllerconfigured to cause a change of state of the movable barrier upon thecommunication circuitry receiving a communication from the remotecontrol; wherein the controller is configured to cause the imminentmotion notification apparatus to output the alert in combination withthe change of state of the movable barrier upon a determination of theremote control being beyond a physical proximity of a locationassociated with the movable barrier operator system, the determinationbased at least in part on the data received from the remote sensor;wherein the controller is configured to inhibit the output of the alertby the imminent motion notification apparatus upon said determinationindicating that the remote control is within the physical proximity ofthe location associated with the movable barrier operator system.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to determinewhether the remote control is within or beyond the physical proximity.3. The system of claim 1 wherein the communication circuitry is furtherconfigured to communicate with a remote computer and receive, from theremote computer, a determination communication indicative of whether theremote control is within or beyond the physical proximity.
 4. The systemof claim 1 wherein the remote sensor includes a camera, and wherein thecontroller is configured to determine whether the remote control isproximate the remote sensor based at least in part on image recognition.5. The system of claim 1 wherein the remote sensor includes an opticalemitter and an optical detector.
 6. The system of claim 1 wherein theremote control is further configured to emit a radio frequency beaconsignal, wherein the remote sensor is configured to detect the radiofrequency beacon signal to indicate whether the remote control isproximate the remote sensor, and wherein the determination of whetherthe remote control is within the physical proximity of the location isbased at least in part on whether the remote sensor has received theradio frequency beacon signal.
 7. The system of claim 1 wherein thedetermination of the remote control being within or beyond the physicalproximity of the location includes a determination of a position of auser associated with the remote control.
 8. The system of claim 7wherein the remote sensor includes a camera, and wherein thedetermination of the position of the user is based at least in part uponcapture by the camera of a physical characteristic of the user.
 9. Amovable barrier operator system for controlling operation of a movablebarrier, the movable barrier operator system comprising: at least onecamera configured to capture a physical characteristic of a user;communication circuitry configured to communicate with a remote controlassociated with the user; an imminent motion notification apparatusconfigured to output an alert; and a controller operably coupled to thecommunication circuitry and the imminent motion notification apparatus,the controller configured to cause a change of state of the movablebarrier upon the communication circuitry receiving a communication fromthe remote control; wherein the controller is further configured tocause the imminent motion notification apparatus to output the alert incombination with the change of state of the movable barrier upon adetermination of the remote control being beyond a physical proximity ofa location associated with the movable barrier operator system based atleast in part on the physical characteristic of the user captured by theat least one camera; and wherein the controller is further configured toinhibit output of the alert by the imminent motion notificationapparatus upon a determination of the remote control being within thephysical proximity based at least in part on the physical characteristicof the user captured by the at least one camera.
 10. The system of claim9 wherein the communication circuitry is configured to communicate withthe at least one camera; and wherein the controller is configured todetermine whether the remote control is within or beyond the physicalproximity of the location associated with the movable barrier operatorsystem based at least in part on the physical characteristic of the usercaptured by the at least one camera.
 11. The system of claim 9 whereinthe communication circuitry is configured to communicate with the atleast one camera; and wherein the controller is configured to cause thecommunication circuitry to communicate information representative of thephysical characteristic to a remote computer via a network.
 12. Thesystem of claim 11 wherein the communication circuitry is configured toreceive a verification communication from the remote computer responsiveto the information representative of the physical characteristic; andthe controller is configured to determine the remote control beingwithin the physical proximity based at least in part upon thecommunication circuitry receiving the verification communication fromthe remote computer.
 13. The system of claim 9 wherein the communicationcircuitry is configured to communicate with a remote computer via anetwork and receive, from the remote computer, a determinationcommunication indicative of whether the remote control is within orbeyond the physical proximity of the location.
 14. The system of claim 9wherein the physical characteristic includes at least one facial featureof the user.
 15. The system of claim 9 wherein the at least one cameraincludes two or more cameras configured to cooperate to capture thephysical characteristic of the user.
 16. The system of claim 15 whereinthe communication circuitry is configured to communicate with the two ormore cameras; and wherein the controller is configured to determinewhether the remote control is within or beyond the physical proximity ofthe location by comparing image data from the two or more cameras. 17.The system of claim 9 wherein the controller is configured to determinewhether the remote control is within or beyond the physical proximitybased at least in part on a signal strength of the communication fromthe remote control.
 18. The system of claim 9 wherein the locationassociated with the movable barrier operator system includes a geofencedarea; and wherein the communication circuitry is configured tocommunicate with a remote computer via a network, the communicationcircuitry configured to receive a determination communication from theremote computer indicative of whether the remote control is within orbeyond the physical proximity based at least in part on whether theremote control is within the geofenced area.
 19. A method of operating amovable barrier operator system that includes at least one camera and amoving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus, the methodcomprising: at the movable barrier operator system: receiving acommunication from a remote control, the communication configured tocause the movable barrier operator system to change a state of a movablebarrier; capturing, via the at least one camera, a physicalcharacteristic of a user associated with the remote control; causing themoving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus to output an alertin combination with the change of state of the movable barrier upon adetermination of the remote control being beyond a physical proximity ofa location associated with the movable barrier operator system based atleast in part on a comparison of the physical characteristic of the userto authorized physical characteristic data; and causing themoving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus to refrain fromoutputting the alert in combination with the change of state of themovable barrier upon a determination of the remote control being withinthe physical proximity based at least in part on said comparison. 20.The method of claim 19 further comprising, at the movable barrieroperator, determining whether the remote control is within or beyond thephysical proximity of the location associated with the movable barrieroperator system based at least in part on the physical characteristic ofthe user captured using the at least one camera.
 21. The method of claim19 further comprising causing communication circuitry of the movablebarrier operator system to communicate information representative of thephysical characteristic to a remote computer via a network.
 22. Themethod of claim 21 further comprising: at the movable barrier operatorsystem: receiving a verification communication from the remote computerresponsive to the information representative of the physicalcharacteristic; and determining whether the remote control is within orbeyond the physical proximity based at least in part upon the movablebarrier operator system receiving the verification communication fromthe remote computer.
 23. The method of claim 19 further comprising: atthe movable barrier operator system: receiving a determinationcommunication indicative of whether the remote control is within orbeyond the physical proximity.
 24. The method of claim 19 wherein thephysical characteristic includes at least one facial feature of theuser.
 25. The method of claim 19 wherein the at least one cameraincludes a plurality of cameras, the method further comprisingdetermining whether the remote control is within or beyond the physicalproximity of the location by comparing image data from the cameras. 26.The method of claim 19 further comprising: detecting a signal strengthof the communication from the remote control; and wherein determiningwhether the remote control is within or beyond the physical proximity ofthe location includes comparing the detected signal strength to apredetermined signal strength threshold.
 27. The method of claim 19wherein the location associated with the movable barrier operator systemincludes a geofenced area; wherein determining whether the remotecontrol is within or beyond the physical proximity of the locationincludes determining whether the remote control is within the geofencedarea.
 28. A method of operating a movable barrier operator system thatincludes a camera and a moving-barrier imminent motion notificationapparatus, the method comprising: capturing, via the camera, a physicalcharacteristic of a user proximate a movable barrier associated with themoving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus; determiningwhether the user proximate the movable barrier is verified based atleast in part on a comparison between the physical characteristic of theuser captured by the camera and authorized user physical characteristicdata; receiving, at the movable barrier operator system, a communicationconfigured to cause the movable barrier operator system to change astate of the movable barrier; causing the moving-barrier imminent motionnotification apparatus to output an alert in combination with the changeof state of the movable barrier upon the user proximate the movablebarrier not being verified; and causing the moving-barrier imminentnotification apparatus to refrain from outputting the alert incombination with the change of state of the movable barrier upon theuser proximate the movable barrier being verified.
 29. The method ofclaim 28 wherein determining whether the user proximate the movablebarrier is verified includes using a processor of at least one of thecamera, the moving-barrier imminent motion notification apparatus, amovable barrier operator, and a remote computer to compare the physicalcharacteristic of the user captured by the camera to the authorized userphysical characteristic data.
 30. The method of claim 29 furthercomprising deleting the authorized user physical characteristic datafrom a memory accessible by the processor after a predetermined periodof time.
 31. The method of claim 28 further comprising: communicatinginformation representative of the physical characteristic of the usercaptured by the camera to a remote computer via a network; and whereindetermining whether the user proximate the movable barrier is verifiedincludes the remote computer comparing the physical characteristic ofthe user captured by the camera and the authorized user physicalcharacteristic data.
 32. The method of claim 28 wherein the physicalcharacteristic of the user includes at least one facial feature; anddetermining whether the user proximate the movable barrier is verifiedincludes utilizing an image recognition algorithm to compare thephysical characteristic of the user and the authorized user physicalcharacteristic data.